Three Queenslanders have been selected to compete on the world stage for Australia at the Youth Olympic Games held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 06-18 October 2018.
Part of the 88 athlete-strong Australian contingent, Mark Nicolaidis, James Takken, and Tiaan Smith will compete in beach volleyball – one of the 26 sports reperesented at the Youth Olympic Games.
Tiann Smith, paired with Lauren Taylor from Victoria, played in front of a packed venue in their preliminary round at Green Park on Sunday, 07 October. The duo took on USA in a tough battle and were ultimately defeated 2-0.
Smith spoke with Olympic Team media following the loss saying, “I think playing in front of such a massive crowd did get to me a bit. It was a good first game although a little disappointing, but a good learning experience for both of us, so now we know what to expect next time”.
Mark Nicolaidis and James Takken take on Brazil in their first match on Monday, 08 October.
Keep up to date with the latest results at the Youth Olympic Games website.
Image courtesy of olympics.org